God set into motion the plan of salvation by testing Abrahams faith. He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God, but God provided a substitutea ramas a sign of the coming of the Messiah.

AdamAdan

first of the Earth

First man and father of the human race

Jan. 9

Adrian

brave

Saint Adrian of Canterbury was a highly successful missionary in pagan England, and a great teacher of Bible study.

AlanAlain, Allan, Allen

Harmony

Our Lady told Blessed Alan de la Roche to revive the ancient Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. He was a Dominican Father in Brittany, a theologian famous for his sermons.

June 20

Alban

white

Saint Alban was converted by a priest whom he sheltered from persecutions and rescued by changing clothes with him. Patron saint of converts.

Nov. 15

Albert

illustrious

Saint Albert the Great was a bishop who introduced Greek and Arabic science to medieval Europe, raising understanding of botany, biology, physics, and other studies of nature. A scientist himself, he wrote many books on these subjects.

Oct. 11

AlexanderAlistair, Alec, Alex, Alejandro, Sacha, Sandor

helper of people

Saint Alexander Sauli became a bishop in a diocese where faith had died. Clergy and laity knew little about scripture and Church teachings. With the help of three friends, he inspired the people to new faith, corrected abuses, rebuilt broken down churches, and founded colleges and seminaries.

(July 17)

AlexisAlex, Alexei, Alexius, Sasha

helper

Saint Alexius grew up wealthy but enjoyed helping beggars. He wanted to devote himself to God, but his parents arranged a marriage for him. On his wedding day his fiancee agreed to let him follow his vocation. Our Lady spoke from a picture at church, pointing him out and calling him the "Man of God".

June 21

AloysiusLouis, Alois, Lewis, Ludwig, Luigi, Luis

famous warrior

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, at age 16, gave up his right to be a prince to grow in sanctity through the Jesuit discipline. He died at age 23, because he contracted a disease from the sick people he had helped. Patron saint of youth.

Aug. 1

Alphonse

eager for battle

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was a civil and a canon lawyer who made it a point to always attend Mass before heading to court. His promised that he would never waste a moment of his life, and held fast to it for over 90 years, even when his rheumatism hurt so much that he could barely move.

Dec. 7

Ambrose

immortal

Saint Ambrose of Milan was called "the honey-tongued doctor" because of his gift of preaching and his reputation as an expert on Church doctrine. Words were very important to him and he said, "Let no word escape your lips in vain or be uttered without depth of meaning."

May 5

AngelAngelo

angel

Saint Angelus of Jerusalem was born to Jewish converts and learned to respect Jews as well as to help them accept Jesus as the Messiah. After assisting in the formation of the first Carmelite house, he was sent to Italy where he converted many Sicilian Jews.

Nov. 30

AndrewAndre, Andreas, Andres, Drew

manly

Saint Andrew was the first Apostle. He enthusiastically led other people to God, starting with his brother, Saint Peter.

April 21

Anselm

divine helmet

Saint Anselm of Canterbury actively fought against slavery in England, even getting politically involved and obtaining legislation that made it illegal to sell human beings.

June 13

Oct. 24

AnthonyTony, Anton, Antonio, Antony

priceless

Saint Anthony of Padua was always a ready helper in time of need. Living as a hermit, he left his cave only to attend Mass and sweep the nearby monastery. When he filled in for a scheduled speaker who failed to keep his commitment, his reputation as a great preacher spread widely. Patron saint for finding lost articles.

Saint Anthony Claret was convinced that the Church should use the power of the printed word to evangelize the world.

(July 8)

Arnold

strength of an eagle

Saint Arnold was confessor in the court of Charlemagne who was noted for his charity to the poor.

Aug. 28

AugustineAugust, Austin, Augustin

majestic

When Saint Augustine was a young adult, he rejected his upbringing, converted to a false religion and lived immorally. It was a lifestyle he did not want to give up, but he finally realized that nothing truly satisfied him except friendship with God. He said, "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and are restless until they rest in You."

June 11

BarnabasBarnaby

son of consolation

Saint Barnabas was converted shortly after Pentecost. He gave up all his possessions to detach from the world and follow the way of Christ. His helpful, compassionate and optimistic nature inspired other new Christians, including Saint Paul.

Aug. 24

BartholomewBart, Bartel, Barry

son of Talmai

Saint Bartholomew was an Apostle whose greatest desire was to know the truth. His initial reaction to Jesus was, "How can anything good come from Nazareth?" But when he met Jesus, he wanted to become one a disciple. Jesus said of him, "Here is a man in whom there is no deception."

Jan. 2

BasilVasily, Vassily

royal

Saint Basil the Great practiced law but decided to become a monk. He founded a monastery which he directed. He wrote a famous monastic rule that lasted longer than any others in the East. Patron of hospital administrators.

May 25

Bede

life

Saint Bede the Venerable combined contemplative prayer with theological studies, always hungry to discover more of the riches of the Faith. He especially admired the spirituality of the Blessed Mother.

July 11

Jan. 12

BenedictBenoit, Bennett, Benito

blessing

Saint Benedict believed in excelling and doing his very best to honor God. When he founded twelve monasteries, the demand for spiritual excellence in his Monastic Rule was so frustrating to lazy monks, some of them tried to poison him, but he blessed the drink and consumed it with no ill effects.

After Saint Benedict Biscop made a pilgrimage to Rome, he added Roman elements of worship to English liturgies and thus became the patron saint of musicians and painters.

(Mar. 31)

BenjaminBenson

son of the right hand

Saint Benjamin was a Deacon who was imprisoned for his faith. Released on condition that he never preach about Christ again, he refused to comply and neglected no opportunity to talk about Jesus. He was martyred.

Aug. 20

May 28

BernardBarnard, Bernadine, Bernardo, Nardo, Bernhard

bold as a bear

Saint Bernard used to ask himself every morning, "Why have I come here?" and he answered, "To lead a holy life." He valued using all talents, resources, time, experiences, hurts, and spiritual growth for God so that no day would be wasted.

Saint Bernard of Menthon protected travelers from thieves in the Alpine Mountains and established hospices for people making pilgrimages to Rome. The big dogs that are trained to search for missing victims in the mountains were named after him.

Feb. 3

BlaiseBlase

babbler

Saint Blaise was a physician who healed humans and animals. While imprisoned for his faith, he healed his fellow prisoners and saved a child who was choking on a fish bone. Thus he became the patron of throat ailments, colds and viruses.

July 15

Bonaventure

good attempt

Saint Bonaventure was one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. He was exceptionally gifted in his soul, mind, and personality.

June 5

Boniface

doer of good things

Saint Boniface left everything that was familiar to him to evangelize the German tribes and reorganize the Church in France. He traveled continuously, always willing to deal with change for the sake of the Lord.

(May 16)

BrendanBrandon, Brennan

sword

Saint Brendan and a crew of other Irish monks voyaged across the Atlantic to America in a ship made of oxhides -- 400 years before the Vikings and almost 1000 years before Columbus!

(Dec. 1)

BrianBryan, Bryant

strong

Saint Alexander Briant was an English Jesuit whom people called "the beautiful youth" because of his handsome looks and purity of heart. When he was martyred, he felt no pain during the tortures. He said: "Whether this that I say be miraculous or no, God knows." He was 25 when he died.

(Nov. 13)

BriceBruce

breach

Saint Brice was a self-centered, overly ambitious cleric who repented. But when he became a bishop, he reverted to his old ways and neglected his duties. When exiled, he repented again and completely changed his attitude. Resuming as Bishop, he served with such humility, holiness and ability that the people venerated him as a saint before he died.

Oct. 6

July 18

Bruno

brown

Saint Bruno knew that cheerfulness comes from serving God with hard work, fasting, and continual prayers. He said, "Try and you will see how rewarding it is to serve God with all the love of your heart." He felt great concern for those who lived in Satans grip and is the patron of possessed people.

Saint Bruno of Segni was an avid defender of orthodox Christian teachings. One of the doctrines he strongly promoted was the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.